Irene Fox Doyle

COLUMBIA -- Irene Fox Doyle, 64, died at her home in Columbia, on Nov. 9, 2007.

The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. today at Unity Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, with Dr. Dan Holloway and Rev. Jeannie Bickett officiating. The family will receive friends at the Unity Presbyterian Family Life Center immediately following the service.

She is the daughter of the late William Henry Fox and the late Tillie Mills Fox. Irene was a native of Fort Mill. She attended Erskine College and graduated from Winthrop College with a B.S. degree in elementary education. She taught fourth grade in Florida where she met her husband. She also taught fourth grade and fifth grade in Georgia. She lived in Gulfport, Miss., and Portland, Ore. She later moved to Oklahoma City where she worked as an editor for a publishing company. During this time, she helped to publish an educational phonics program for elementary students.

In 1979, she moved to Columbia, where she actively volunteered for a number of organizations which included Girl Scouts, Just Say No Club, Richland County Public Library and Caughman Road Elementary School. She received honors for her work which included Richland District One Volunteer of the Year. She was also a strong advocate for individuals with disabilities.

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She was an artist, painter and excelled at card games. She was a driving force in the "Golden Girls," a group of childhood friends who remained very close throughout life.

The surviving members of her family include her husband, Colin Doyle; son, Kevin Doyle; and her two daughters, Kelly Doyle and Shannon Doyle, of Columbia; her brother and sister-in-law, William Henry Jr. and Gwen Fox of Charlotte, N.C.; her sister and brother-in-law, Emily and Boyce Brawley, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Kidney Foundation of South Carolina, 500 Taylor Street, Columbia, SC 29201; or the American Cancer Society, 128 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210.

Barr-Price Funeral Home is assisting the family with funeral arrangements.